“The project establishes Rutgers culturally as an anchor tenant in the 500,000-square-foot reincarnation of Hahne & Co., host and home to the arts in Newark,” said Jason Chmura, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, associate for Princeton, N.J.-based KSS Architects, the architect on the project. “The environment seeks to cultivate local artistic expression that resonates globally by facilitating public scholarship and community engagement, opening a new chapter in the diverse city’s cultural history.”

The new 50,000-square-foot Express Newark serves as an anchor in the historic building’s development, helping to enhance the city’s Arts Triangle that is currently bringing creativity and vibrancy back to the urban core. Express Newark includes a maker space, print shop, photo studio, two galleries, production studio, digital media and 3D printing, classrooms and editing labs, conference rooms and offices. Architectural partitions snake through the rigid existing column grid to make the space inviting and exciting for the community, according to Jordan Mrazik, RA, project architect for KSS Architects. In fact, community members can join in on weekly Art Break sessions that range from origami 101 to lectures on jazz music.

“Express Newark provides state-of-the-art interdisciplinary public learning spaces where artists, community residents and community partners will create visual, spoken word and electronic arts; foster democratic dialogue; and effect positive transformation,” Chmura said. “All the collaborations, experimentation and innovation are done in partnership with Rutgers faculty, staff and students.”

The lobby circulates around past amphitheater stairs to public forums, classes and photo shoots, while the monumental staircase also opens up the upper floors. The wooden amphitheater seating adds to the space as well, bringing an iconic lobby element that continues to enhance engagement and community. Additional combinations of flexible and fixed seating throughout the space give users the option to lounge, work or wait. Large-scale graphics, signage and displays further draw users into the many program elements, according to Chmura.

Another major space is the second-floor Newark Print Shop, which hosts an open Print Club every Wednesday for aspiring printmakers. Key to the print shop as a community tenant was visibility into and through from the main lobby, with space on walls for rotating art exhibitions, according to Mrazik. Its prime location near the entrance or building atrium puts the print shop’s activities on display for passersby, added Chmura.

“The team also planned for murals on the wall, celebrating work by local artists that represent the spirit of the print shop,” Chmura said.

One challenge the design team faced included designing within the historic building’s rigid existing structure. The team had to get especially creative when designing enough room for the heavy-duty letterpress machines and behind-the-scenes storage space necessary for the print shop.

The project was unique in that it was a multifaceted partnership between institution, developer, faculty and staff, architects, community residents, businesses and artists. “This project was the first time so many users from various places were coming together,” Chmura added. “The design process had to unify the voice all under the traditional project stakeholders and institutional process.”

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As the race to see who can create the greenest school continues, School Construction News spoke with Jason Chmura, AIA, LEED AP, an associate at Princeton, N.J.-headquartered KSS Architects, about his work as a leader of the firm’s Sustainability Design Practice Group. In a slew of recent projects, Chmura pushed for advancements in building performance, equipment, and energy use in both K-12 and higher education projects. Here he discusses current trends and advantages to building green.

Q: What sustainable educational facility projects are you currently working on?

Chmura: We recently completed a facility for the Gottesman RTW Academy in Randolph. The project featured site-harvested stone, sunshades, photovoltaic panels and rain gardens. It features a number of monitoring systems that help frame the curriculum for Pre-K-8 students. We have a grand opening for Rutgers University’s Express Newark facility in Newark, N.J., next week, which is a 43,000-square-foot reuse of a 100-plus-year-old department store in downtown Newark. The project is significant as to its social sustainability, whereupon the symbiotic uses of the building as commercial, educational and residential will contribute to its long-term success and reactivation of the neighborhood.

We also wrapped up a 120,000-square-foot charter school for KIPP New Jersey also in Newark this September, which implemented a substantial energy recovery system as part of the HVAC design. This had immense cost savings for the project in addition to contributing to the efficiency of the building. There were savings both to the mechanical and plumbing systems as a result, but also the structural system(s) as we significantly decreased the sizes of the rooftop units.

Currently, I am overseeing the rehab of a 100-year-old former trolley barn to serve as a new gymnasium, which again reuses an existing, aging structure to provide new facilities for a school. The project features porous (pervious concrete) for stormwater control and a (Kalwall) panelized insulated glazing system.

Q: How do these projects reflect the national trend of building educational facilities to be more environmentally sustainable?

Chmura: If I had to speak to a trend, I would note the increase in the reuse of existing structures, especially in an urban environment. A component of the LEED rating system since its inception, building reuse is an often-overlooked attribute with huge potential. Not only are you decreasing (eliminating) landfill waste, you stand to reinvigorate and activate sites and buildings that may be standing vacant. Further, many of our clients are actually looking beyond the cost savings — which are often in favor of new construction — to find sites that will both benefit from development and help support the mission of the school.

Q: What key advantages do schools have when they are built to sustainable standards?

Chmura: When the standards are implemented to prescribe occupant comfort or wellness, it’s a no-brainer. There are plenty of studies that link student participation, faculty performance and overall achievement with healthy learning environments. Additionally, when the design and technology that are part of sustainable design are analyzed and become part of the curriculum, it has an effect on the students like nothing else.

Q: What are the top three sustainable-building recommendations you have for schools that want to be more efficient on a budget?

Chmura: Integrate daylight harvesting and energy recovery systems, and use salvaged or reused materials.

Q: What do you believe is the future of sustainable educational facility projects?

Chmura: The most successful educational facilities will rely on heavy incorporation of high-performance technology into their curriculum. The next generation of students will continue to crave hands-on learning experiences. Sustainable design will become a necessity, and young minds will thrive in an environment where they are fully immersed in their own laboratory throughout the day.

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